Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) suspend the construction of HS2, and (2) use any money saved as a result to support communities and businesses affected by COVID-19.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government will do whatever is necessary to deal with COVID-19 now and will also continue to invest in the country’s future infrastructure.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Biometrics

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about the reported (1) use of facial recognition technology in Xinjian to monitor Uighur Muslims resulting in human rights violations, and (2) mistreatment by the Hong Kong police force of pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong; what assessment they have made of the impact of any development of facial recognition technology on those groups; and what plans they have to re-assess their collaboration with China in regard to the development of such technology.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including extensive and invasive surveillance targeting Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities. An extensive body of open source evidence suggests such surveillance, including the use of facial recognition technology, plays a central role in the restrictive measures imposed in the region. With regard to the police response to protests in Hong Kong, we have been clear that this should be lawful and proportionate. We have consistently called for a robust, independent investigation into recent events. On 9 March, the Foreign Secretary raised his concerns about Xinjiang and Hong Kong with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi.A research project relating to facial recognition referred to in recent media reports was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC), an arms-length body that forms part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Her Majesty’s Government is not involved in individual UKRI or EPSRC funding decisions. In accordance with principles of academic freedom, it is for universities to decide who they conduct research with, and how, within existing domestic and international legal frameworks.

Israel: Golan Heights

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Israel's activities in the Golan Heights.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK's position on the status of the Occupied Golan Heights is clear and has not changed. In line with international law, and relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, notably Resolutions 242 and 497, we do not recognise Israel's sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967, including the Golan Heights, and we do not consider them part of the territory of the State of Israel.

Israeli Settlements

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have (1) made, and (2) intend to make, to the government of Israel about reports that the Israeli Defence Force has declared Israeli ownership over land documented as belonging to Palestine in Wad Fukin.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not made representations on these reports, we are encouraging both sides to maintain calm and avoid taking actions which make peace more difficult to achieve.

Commonwealth: Wildlife

lord mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what educational programmesthey are supporting in Commonwealth countries to inform local people of any relationship between COVID-19 and other diseases and the trade in wildlife for food; and whatsteps they are taking to discourage such trade.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The UK recognises that strong health systems are vital to ensuring health security and we support the Commonwealth's ambition to move towards achieving Universal Health Coverage, enabling countries to prevent, detect and respond to global outbreaks like Coronavirus. The origin of the Covid-19 virus is not yet clear, although it has been linked to viruses occurring in animals. The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to regulate global trade in wild animals and my officials regularly raise our concerns with other governments and with international authorities. The Commonwealth secretariat has launched a Commonwealth Coronavirus Response Centre that aims to provide a wealth of information on COVID-19 and educational resources for Commonwealth countries. Separately, the UK has announced £210 million further funding to the international coalition to find a vaccine, bringing the total amount of UK aid spent to fight COVID-19 to £544 million.The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to raise awareness and promote action to tackle the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT). We have continued to address IWT through bilateral discussions and in multilateral partners. Through this work we were able to successfully work with international partners to help secure strong IWT Resolution at last year's United Nations General Assembly. The UK has also announced a £220 million international biodiversity fund to protect and enhance global biodiversity, £30 million of which will go to tackle IWT.

Department of Health and Social Care

Intensive Care: Medical Equipment

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the (1) current availability of ventilators in NHS intensive care units, and (2) production capacity, to supply further ventilators in line with the planned increase intheiruse.

lord bethell: The National Health Service has world-renowned critical care facilities which includes access to around 5,000 adult and 900 paediatric critical care ventilators, with further ventilators available outside of critical care facilities.Work preparing the NHS has been ongoing and we have already nearly doubled ventilator capacity. New and existing suppliers are being asked to build as many as they can. The Prime Minister has issued a call to United Kingdom industry to produce additional ventilators and the Department asked appropriate potential manufacturers on 13 March to come forward with proposals for new ventilation machines. Around a dozen potential prototypes have now been presented to the Department which we are currently pursuing.

Coronavirus: Pneumonia

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of the use of Tocilizumab in the treatment of severe cases of interstitial pneumonia linked to COVID-19in China and Italy; andwhat plans they have to make that drug available on the NHS.

lord bethell: The Department is considering carefully all available evidence around the potential of different medicines for use in treating COVID-19. Clinical trials are being developed to assess the benefits of a number of different medicines in treating COVID-19. Further medicines may be trialled should evidence indicate to the Department that this would be an appropriate course of action. The Department, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Public Health England and the National Health Service are working together to ensure that trials can begin as soon as possible. The first trial in the United Kingdom for hospitalised patients should begin later this week.

Community First Responders: Staffordshire

lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the West Midlands Ambulance Serviceare downgradingthe role of Community First Responders in Staffordshire.

lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe reasons given byWest Midlands Ambulance Service for downgrading the role of Community First Responders in Staffordshire.

lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration was given by the West Midlands Ambulance Service to upgrading the role of Community First Responders in other parts of its area to bringthe rolesinto line with the role in Staffordshire before the decision was taken to downgrade the role of Community First Responders in Staffordshire and bringing that role into line with other parts of the West Midlands Ambulance Service area.

lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the current enhanced role of Community First Responders in Staffordshire has proved more effective in terms of (1) quality, and (2) safety, when compared to the work of Community First Responders in other parts of the West Midlands Ambulance Service area.

lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they provide on the role of Community First Responders.

lord bethell: Ambulance services have operated with Community First Responders (CFRs) for many years in mainly rural areas and they play a vital role in responding to the highest priority 999 calls whilst paramedics are en-route.West Midland Ambulance Service (WMAS) recognise that Community First Responders (CFRs) play a key role in protecting local communities and they want to enhance that by increasing the number of CFRs, using a consistent model of response, so that even more lives can be saved.Since the introduction of the Ambulance Response Programme, ambulance services have a clearer indication of the severity of each 999 call and so can assign the most appropriate response to that call, which may include the dispatch of a CFR, to ensure that each patient receives the right response for their clinical need.WMAS plan to use their CFRs to target the most seriously ill patients, in the way that CFR schemes were originally set up.The Government are content with the approach WMAS are taking regarding CFRs and have no concerns regarding their future plans.In 2015, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives published a document on the use of CFRs. The document seeks to reduce national variation in the governance of CFR schemes and aims to addresses the deployment of CFRs across all categories of calls. A copy of Volunteer Responders Governance Framework is attached.



Volunteer Responders Governance Framework
(PDF Document, 472.02 KB)

Intensive Care: Medical Equipment

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to create an online hackathon platform to help design and deploy an open-source ventilator for the NHS.

lord bethell: Work preparing the National Health Service has been ongoing and we have already nearly doubled ventilator capacity. New and existing suppliers are being asked to build as many as they can. The Prime Minister has issued a call to United Kingdom industry to produce additional ventilators and the Department asked appropriate potential manufacturers on 13 March to come forward with proposals for new ventilation machines.The Department is already considering several prototypes from manufacturers in response and has no plans to establish online platforms as part of the procurement process.

Coronavirus: Medical Equipment

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the case for using simplified iron lung machines to treat COVID-19.

lord bethell: An ‘iron lung’ is a ventilator which was used particularly in polio outbreaks of the 1940s and 1950s. Iron lung ventilators are largely obsolete in modern medicine having been superseded by modern ventilators.Modern ventilators utilise positive pressure to ‘push air into airways’ via intubation. ‘Iron lung’ ventilation relied on negative pressure to expand the lung, requiring patients to lie within an enclosed chamber. The iron lung chamber restricts both patient movement and healthcare worker ability to reach patients.Modern ventilators permit superior ventilation and allow for a safer and more acceptable standard of medical care for patients. It is unlikely that return to ‘iron lung’ negative pressure ventilation would be considered safe, acceptable or a practical approach at present. The current priority is to increase access to modern, positive pressure ventilators.

Coronavirus: Health Professions

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to advise medical professionals in 'at-risk' groups to self-isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord bethell: Guidance was sent out to all National Health Service departments on Friday 20 March from NHS England and NHS Improvement about supporting vulnerable staff. A copy of the guidance is attached. The guidance states that “The NHS will support staff to stay well and at work. NHS organisations should make adjustments to enable this wherever possible. Adjustments may include working remotely or moving to a lower risk area.”



Guidance on supporting vulnerable staff
(PDF Document, 70.53 KB)

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the most effective measures adopted by other countries toaddressCOVID-19.

lord bethell: The Government are working closely with the World Health Organization, along with advice from leading scientists to ensure that the most effective measures are adopted for the United Kingdom.Public Health England is also in regular contact with laboratories and public health organisations across the world in order to understand the processes they have adopted in relation to contact tracing, risk assessments, guidance and laboratory processes.

Coronavirus: Death

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the projected UK death toll from COVID-19

lord bethell: The Government relies on modelling work undertaken by several academic groups, who report to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) through its various subgroups. SAGE will continue to publish the evidence that it considers.From modelling and current data on the outbreak, it is likely that the United Kingdom death toll will rise, but it is not possible to estimate how many individuals will die currently. This will be dependent on the implementation of and adherence to public health measures, and the success of those measures in suppressing transmission of the virus and the numbers of cases of infection.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of herd immunity as a way to minimise UK deaths from COVID-19

lord bethell: Herd immunity is not part of the Government’s action plan but is a natural by-product of an epidemic. Our aims are to save lives, protect the most vulnerable, and relieve pressure on the National Health Service.We have now moved out of the contain phase and into delay, and we have experts working round the clock. Every measure that we have or will introduce will be based on the best scientific evidence.Our awareness of the likely levels of immunity in the country over the coming months will ensure our planning and response is as accurate and effective as possible.

Intensive Care: Medical Equipment

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what response there has been to the Prime Minister's request for manufacturers to develop ventilators for the NHS; and how many they expect to be produced.

lord bethell: Work preparing the National Health Service has been ongoing and we have already nearly doubled ventilator capacity. New and existing suppliers are being asked to build as many as they can. The Prime Minister has issued a call to United Kingdom industry to produce additional ventilators and the Department asked appropriate potential manufacturers on 13 March to come forward with proposals for new ventilation machines. Around a dozen potential prototypes have now been presented to the Department which we are currently pursuing.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how confident they are that those whohave recovered from COVID-19 do not continue to be carriers of the virus; and whether swab tests will be repeated for recovered patients to ensure that such testsremain negative.

lord bethell: COVID-19 is not known to cause latent infections (becoming dormant in the body after infection and reactivate later on) or to cause persistent infection (continuous infection). Public Health England is in the process of producing guidance for the conditions of discharge of infected patients from hospitals.

Coronavirus: Italy

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that one of the people in the Lombardy cluster may have become infected with COVID-19 after contact with a person who tested negative for COVID-19.

lord bethell: Assessment of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 cases suggests that, similar to SARS-CoV, patients will not be infectious until the onset of symptoms. In most cases, individuals are usually considered infectious while they have symptoms. How infectious individuals are depends on the severity of their symptoms and stage of their illness. Further study is required to determine the actual occurrence and impact of asymptomatic transmission.

Ambulance Services: Essex

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research by the Health Services Journal, published on 5 March, which showed that there was an average wait time of over 33 minutes for a Category 2 emergency ambulance between April and September 2019 in all Clinical Commissioning Groups in the Mid and South Essex sustainability and transformation partnership.

lord bethell: No assessment has been made. All English ambulance services have adopted the Ambulance Response Programme model, and report data at trust level against the Ambulance Quality Indicators. There is no central data collection at clinical commissioning group level and no further assessment will be made, as it is a matter for local commissioners.

NHS: Negligence

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the cost of putting an existing liabilities scheme in place to cover claims for historical NHS clinical negligence liabilities.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government howthey have ensured value for money in respect of the establishment of the new state indemnity scheme for general practice operated by NHS Resolution.

lord bethell: The costs NHS Resolution incur in 2019-20 in relation to general practitioner (GP) indemnity (including oversight arrangements prior to establishment of the Existing Liabilities Scheme for General Practice in April) will be reported in the 2019-20 annual accounts of NHS Resolution, once the audit process for the costs is complete. An Impact Assessment was carried out for the introduction of the state indemnity scheme for general practice. The state scheme provides the best balance of costs, benefits and risks as it provides a more affordable system that can reduce costs for GPs and remove a barrier to GP recruitment; gives the Department more control over the impact of increases in the cost of clinical negligence on GP incomes; and in moving discretionary cover to the Government brings arrangements into line with the position of clinicians in National Health Service trusts.

NHS: Negligence

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the terms of the agreement with the Medical Protection Society covering NHS clinical negligence claims made against their GP members in respect of liabilities arising before 1 April 2019.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government howthey have ensuredvalue for money in respect of the agreement with the Medical Protection Society covering NHS clinical negligence claims made against their GP membersfor liabilities arising before 1 April 2019.

lord bethell: The agreement with the Medical Protection Society (MPS) is such that the MPS will contribute a certain amount of assets for the relevant liabilities. The price paid was agreed via commercial negotiations. Through negotiations, the Department has been guided by the need to act fairly and prudently when managing the public purse.The Department currently has no plans to publish the terms of the agreement with the Medical Protection Society covering National Health Service clinical negligence claims made against their general practitioner members in respect of liabilities arising before 1 April 2019, which is subject to confidentiality provisions.

Health Services

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bethell on 17 March (HL2718), whether the NHS issues any guidance to NHS organisations related to policies on patients' ability to specify the sex or gender of the staff treating them; and whether such policies are (1) co-ordinated, or (2) compared in any way.

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 17 March (HL2178), whether NHS patients in England can request to have intimate examinations carried out by a doctor of a specified biological sex; and whether such requests are always adhered to.

lord bethell: National Health Service organisations set their own policies on patients’ ability to specify the gender of the staff treating them.One of the NHS Constitution’s founding values is that of respect and dignity for patients, carers and staff in accordance with their needs and priorities and ensuring these are considered when designing and delivering services.The General Medical Council guidance to doctors states that, when proposing to carry out an intimate examination, doctors should offer the patient the option of having an impartial observer (a chaperone) present wherever possible. This applies whether or not the doctor is the same gender as the patient, and they must treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity and privacy.

Coronavirus: Screening

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to test people suspected of having COVID-19 in line with World Health Organisation advice including (1) the elderly, and (2) disabled people living on their own.

lord bethell: The Government’s response is built around protecting those who are most vulnerable in our society. Testing is a crucial part of the United Kingdom’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and we are working on multiple fronts to deliver additional testing capacity into the system. As we have moved from ‘contain’ and into the ‘delay’ phase of COVID-19, Public Health England, together with NHS England and the Department, has agreed we will need to prioritise testing for those most at risk of severe illness from the virus. Our aim is to save lives, protect the most vulnerable, and relieve pressure on the National Health Service. As a result, tests will primarily be given to: - all patients in critical care for pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or flu like illness; and- all other patients requiring admission to hospital for pneumonia, ARDS or flu-like illness The Government is looking at wider testing for those in less critical states. As announced on 27 March, the Government is working with industry, philanthropy and universities to significantly scale up testing.

Intensive Care

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) intensive care beds, and (2) ventilators, there are in each NHS Trust in England; and what was the comparative figure for March 2019.

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many additional intensive care beds they plan to provide to each NHS Trust in England.

lord bethell: Information on numbers of intensive care beds and ventilators is not available in the format requested.The National Health Service is currently scaling up intensive care beds. NHS England is looking at critical care capacity - including the availability of additional facilities of independent sector providers.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Imperial College COVID-19 response team Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand, published on 16 March; and in particular that report's assessment of the impact of the UK's mitigation measures on (1) deaths, and (2) the capacity of the NHS.

lord bethell: The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is responsible for ensuring that timely and coordinated scientific advice is made available to decision-makers, to support United Kingdom cross-Government decisions.In fulfilling this role, SAGE considers a wide range scientific evidence. SAGE is supported in this role by a sub group (Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, SPI-M) that consists of members from Public Health England and experts from several academic research groups at UK universities. SPI-M considers the modelling work of all its members to reach a consensus view.The report Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID-19 mortality and healthcare demand, published on 16 March, is an important strand of the scientific evidence informing the Government’s response to the COVID-19 emergency.

Coronavirus: Screening

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prioritise the testing of all health and care workers in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

lord bethell: Our priority is to make sure that we carry out tests on those who need them most. Currently this is possible for COVID-19 cases in hospitals and care homes. As capacity for testing expands, we will increase the range of people who can be tested. In future key workers, such as health workers, and clinically high priority cases will be prioritised for testing.

Coronavirus: Screening

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria patients have to meet in order to be tested for COVID-19.

lord bethell: Our priority is to make sure that we carry out tests on those who need them most. Currently this is possible COVID-19 cases in hospitals and care homes.As capacity for testing expands, we will increase the range of people who can be tested. In future key workers, such as health workers, and clinically high priority cases will be prioritized for testing.

Department for International Development

Palestinians: Textbooks

lord pickles: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the reportedantisemitic and extremist content in Palestinian Authority school textbooks adhere to (1) the Palestinian Authority–Department for International Development Memorandum of Understanding, and (2) the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to take action against incitement to violence.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding and our ‘partnership principles’. We continue to judge that the PA are demonstrating a credible commitment to this Memorandum and the ‘partnership principles’. Related to education, the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister has announced that he is currently revising the textbooks in time for the next academic year. The Palestinian Authority have also agreed to engage constructively with the review of the textbooks that we secured through our European Partners.

Palestinians: Curriculum

lord pickles: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether reported antisemitic content in the Palestinian Authority’s school curriculum is in breach of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK government is deeply concerned about the allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns in a call to the Palestinian Authority’s Education Minister just last month.In order to assess the concerns highlighted in this question, the UK took the lead in calling for an independent review of Palestinian textbooks, as a result of which an independent review of the alleged incitement to violence and hatred in the textbooks is underway with the support of our European partners. We expect interim findings in Spring 2020 and full findings later in the year.

Palestinians: Teachers

lord polak: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of teacher training programmes supported by UK aid in the Palestinian Territories.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: DFID supports teacher training in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through the UK’s ‘Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning Programme’, which is co-funded by DFID and the British Council. The programme focuses on core and transferable skills, and global citizenship.The content is centrally designed by UK-based experts and delivered on the ground across the world by trainers who are validated and quality assured by the British Council. The British Council undertakes quality assurance visits to ensure the content delivered is appropriate and high quality. The British Council also monitors feedback from participants and has commissioned an independent evaluation of the effectiveness and quality of the training.

Palestinians: Curriculum

lord polak: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK aid is distributed to employees of the Palestinian Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Development Centre.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our money to support education and health provision in the West Bank goes into a special, dedicated bank account and is only paid to individuals vetted through the Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE) to ensure they have no connections to any proscribed groups and are still in employment.Employees of the Palestinian Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Development Centre are included on the PEGASE list, alongside teachers and other public sector education professionals.Each payment is independently audited to ensure it has been transferred to the declared bank account of the intended recipient. This rigorous process means we are confident no UK aid is being diverted.

Palestinians: Textbooks

lord polak: To ask Her Majesty's Government which textbooks are used by the teachers in the Palestinian Territories that are funded by UK aid.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK does not fund textbooks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our education funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) contributes to the salaries of carefully vetted teachers. Teachers in PA schools teach the Palestinian curriculum. Following allegations of incitement in the PA’s school textbooks, the UK secured agreement from our European partners to lead an independent review of the textbooks which is underway. We expect interim findings in Spring 2020 and full findings later in the year.

Migrant Camps: Coronavirus

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions theyhave had, and intend to have,with the UNHCRabout the control of COVID-19 in refugee camps.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting the UK’s global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 and help the most vulnerable, including refugees in camps and settlements as well as host communities. The UK has committed up to £241 million of UK aid to support the global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19.The International Development Secretary has talked to Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and they agreed to work together to minimise the impact of this crisis on refugees. Officials are in regular contact with their United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees counterparts and we are working closely with all our international partners to coordinate a global response that includes actions to address the particular vulnerability of refugee populations.

Department for Education

Public Appointments: Ethnic Groups

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many publicly appointed members of public bodies regulating (1) social work, and (2) education, identify as BAME; and what is therecorded ethnicity of each of those members, disagregated by public body.

baroness berridge: The Department for Education has 136 publicly appointed members of public bodies, 17 of whom identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME). Social Work England has seven public appointees. Due to the low number of appointees, and the risk of potential identification of individuals within this group, we are not able to confirm the number of declared BAME appointees within Social Work England. Ethnicity is based on voluntary declaration. In order to protect personal information, the Department is unable to provide this data disaggregated by public body as, within each body, the number relates to fewer than 10 individuals.

Families

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Budget statement on 11 March, (1) how, and (2) by which Department, the £2.5 million for research and developing best practice around the integration of services for families will be administered;and to what criteria those applying for such funds will be subject.

baroness berridge: The Department for Education will administer the £2.5 million for research and developing best practice around the integration of services for families. More information will be made available in due course

Educational Institutions: Coronavirus

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to close schools, universities and colleges as a result of COVID-19; and if they have any such plans, when they intend to introduce such closures.

baroness berridge: On 18 March, the Government announced that after schools shut their gates on 20 March, they will remain closed until further notice. That will be for all children except those of critical workers and the children who are most vulnerable.The Government are expecting early years providers, independent schools. sixth forms and further education colleges to do the same.Many universities and other higher education institutions are already taking necessary steps to keep their staff and students safe and, where possible, keep providing education. The Department for Education is confident that vice-chancellors are making the right decisions and will continue to support them to do so.

Department for International Trade

Expert Trade Advisory Groups

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Expert Trade Advisory Groups have been created by the Department for International Trade; and who are the members of those groups.

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the role of the Department for International Trade’s Expert Trade Advisory Groups will be as negotiations on trade agreements progress.

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Department for International Trade selected the membership of its Expert Trade Advisory Groups.

viscount younger of leckie: There are currently 17 Expert Trade Advisory Groups (ETAGs), covering a range of sector and thematic policy areas. Over 250 organisations are members of the network of Expert Trade Advisory Groups. The Department intends to publish the names of these organisations in due course. We have established engagement mechanisms, such as the ETAGs, to ensure a broad range of stakeholders have the opportunity to inform the UK’s trade policy. Any further opportunities for engagement during negotiations will be set out in due course. The membership of ETAGs varies according to the needs of the Group, and may include a range of stakeholders from industry, consumer groups, business associations, trade unions or NGOs. Members were selected based on experience and expertise in the relevant sectoral or thematic area.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

baroness sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to suspending(1) face-to-face interviews, (2) work search requirements, and (3) sanctions, forpeople of working age on Universal Credit or legacy benefits for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

baroness stedman-scott: As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that everyone should be supported to do the right thing.

Pensioners: Coronavirus

baroness humphreys: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action theyare taking to support pensioners who work part-time whose earnings would not qualify them for statutory sick pay as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

baroness stedman-scott: As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that everyone should be supported to do the right thing.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Budget 2020’s commitment to provide £304 million to help local authorities improve air quality, what assessment they have made of the likely annual reduction in overall nitrogen dioxide emissions.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) reduced by 33% from 2010-18[1] and we are projecting a further 12% reduction in emissions between 2018 and 2020[2], ensuring that we comply with the 2020 NOx emissions target under the Gothenburg Protocol. We are currently working with local authorities with the worst air pollution concentrations to ensure that they take robust action to accelerate air quality improvement. The financial commitment awarded in the Budget will provide local authorities with the funds to take the necessary action and support individuals and businesses that are impacted by local air quality plans. [1] https://naei.beis.gov.uk/resources/Annex_I_Emissions_reporting_2020_GB_v2.0.xls[2] https://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/gb/un/clrtap/projected/envxmo40w/index_html

Tree Planting

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government following theBudget 2020's commitment to plant enough trees to cover an area the size of Birmingham over the next five years, how many trees they intend to plant in each financial year.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Budget announced a £640 million Nature for Climate Fund to increase tree planting in England. This will contribute to the UK-wide planting commitment of 30,000 hectares per year by 2025 set out in the Government’s manifesto. We are working with the devolved administrations to ensure we all deliver towards this UK commitment over this Parliament. We have not set annual targets but are developing an ambitious programme to deliver the manifesto commitment. Working with key delivery partners and stakeholders, we are developing policies for a new English Tree Strategy, which we will consult on this spring.

Plastics: Recycling

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, as part of their plans to introduce a new Plastic Packaging Tax from April 2022, they will also introduce consistent national guidelines for the recycling of such packaging.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Government is committed to increasing the amount of packaging collected for recycling. The Environment Bill, which is currently going through the Committee Stage in the House of Commons, includes legislation so that all collectors of waste must collect a core set of materials from households, businesses and other organisations such as schools. The core set of materials will be paper and card, plastic, metal, glass, food and garden waste. The core set will have to be collected separately from residual waste and the dry recyclable materials must not be mixed with food and garden waste. We will consult on the detail of the policy later this year. As stated in the Resources and Waste Strategy, we expect consistency in recycling to be in force from 2023.

Flood Control

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19outbreak on their ability to deliver urgent repairs and upgrades to flood defences.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: Following this winter’s flooding the Environment Agency (EA) is completing inspections of impacted assets and prioritising repairs to those assets that are below required condition. The COVID-19 outbreak may impact the EA’s ability to deliver the asset repair programme as quickly as planned, but it will continue to prioritise the repair of assets that pose the most significant risk to lives and livelihoods.

Chemicals: Regulation

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new system for regulating chemicals which requires technical information to be submitted by businesses to the Health and Safety Executive within two years of the end of the implementation period will be used to improve environmental standards.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: After the transition period, we will maintain an effective regulatory system for the management and control of chemicals which safeguards human health and the environment and can respond to emerging risks. One of the chemicals regulation regimes, UK REACH, will require submission of information by industry within two years to demonstrate their understanding of the risks and safe management of a given substance. This information is required to operate an effective regulatory regime, to understand the hazards and risks of chemicals markets and to ensure their safe use. It will inform the assessment of the risks specific substances pose to human health and the environment and therefore any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate these risks such as identifying Substances of Very High Concern.

Air Pollution: Death

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people they estimate have died from illnesses resulting from poor air quality or air pollution;and whether either (1) a monthly, or (2) a quarterly, breakdown of those figures is available for each such year.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants estimates that the mortality burden of the air pollution mixture (based on both PM2.5 and NO2) in the UK is equivalent to 28,000 to 36,000 deaths per year. Mortality burden is a statistical way of assessing the impact of diseases and pollution. The equivalent figures at a monthly or quarterly period are not available. Public Health England has, however, estimated the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution at local authority level in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. This is available to view and search online at: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework.

Treasury

Small Businesses: Finance

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to prevent essential small and medium sized enterprises failing; and what level of priority they have given to preventing unnecessary business failures due to cash flow issues.

lord agnew of oulton: The government has set out an unprecedented package of support for all businesses affected by this crisis. All businesses, including SMEs, will benefit from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Statutory Sick Pay refunds and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme alongside tax cuts and direct grants. Further detail of the business support package can be found at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk and more information on claiming for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

Business: Coronavirus

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support they are planning to give to the leisure and entertainment sector, including theatres, restaurants and pubs,if any such businesses cannot claim against their insurance for any losses incurred as a result of COVID-19.

lord agnew of oulton: The government understands that the leisure and entertainment sectors are particularly affected by this crisis. For businesses which have a policy that covers pandemics, the government’s actions will allow them to make an insurance claim against their policy. In addition, the government is providing £10,000 grants to over 700,000 small businesses across England, and increased grants for qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure businesses of up to £25,000 per property.More generally, the Chancellor has announced an unprecedented package of measures to protect businesses and workers, including an initial £330 billion of loan guarantees. This is on top of compensation for statutory sick pay announced in the Budget. On Friday 20 March the Chancellor announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment. Businesses can put workers on temporary leave and the government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2,500, providing they keep the worker employed.The government stands ready to take whatever action may be necessary to support businesses through this economic and human crisis.

Occupational Pensions: Tax Allowances

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Buscombe on 31 October 2018 (HL10750), how many (1) women, and (2) men, recorded in HMRC’s Real Time Information records,earning below the personal tax threshold, were contributing at work to a Net Pay Pension scheme in the tax years after 2016-17; and how often they plan to update these figures.

lord agnew of oulton: HMRC estimate that 1.5m individuals earning below the personal allowance in 2017-18 made workplace pension contributions via Real Time Information (RTI) using net pay arrangements. About 75% of these individuals are estimated to be female and 25% are estimated to be male. The personal allowance in 2017-18 was £11,500. HMRC’s Survey of Personal Income (SPI) and administrative data was used to produce the estimates. The 2017-18 SPI data (published in March 2020) is the latest year available. The SPI is updated annually.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

World Tourism Organisation

lord lansley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on UK membership of the UN World Tourism Organisation.

baroness barran: The UK is not currently a member of the UNWTO. However, the previous Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism met the UNWTO Secretary General at the World Travel Market in November 2019 and DCMS officials regularly engage with the UNWTO.